Wake of Darkness [1]

Chapter Thirty-Six

♕ Prophetess ♕

Sybilla had not tried to break through the metal bars. She wasn't sure she even had enough energy inside her to remain standing up for longer than a few seconds. Zander kept trying to grab her attention, but her eyes were lost looking at the empty cells in front of her. He reached for her, his hand trying to grab hers. Trying to get her to react. To do anything that wasn't staring into the nothingness that stood before them.

She could still feel her lungs begging her to cough. Could still fell shadow hands pulling her across the floor and slamming her into the wet concrete ground. She could see Nerezza's eyes shining down on her as she closed the door, see them glowing as she'd pulled Zander on the cell beside her. Her laughing had not stopped, not even after she'd walked out. It had remained clear in her mind for hours after the darkness faded.

And in the midst of it all, she could see Mason walking away. His voice, without emotion telling her to do it. To lock her away. Like she was nothing more than a stranger. Maybe she'd committed treason. That much she could admit was true, but she had imagined that after everything he would at least stand by her side, that he would give her a chance to explain. But she should've known better.

"Hey princess" Zander said, and his voice did no longer sound like a pitch blurred sound in the background.

"Don't call me that" She said, finally parting her eyes from the empty hallway. "You can just call me Sybilla"

"Okay then" He nodded. "Thank you Sybilla"

"For what?" Sybilla said, and if she had enough air to spare would've laughed at him. "I just made things worse"

"You tired to do a good thing. Even when you did not owe me anything, even when you had every reason to hate me."

"I just don't think killing you is the best option" Sybilla said, and finally sat on the floor. Resting her head against the wall. "It does not mean I don't hate you."

"That just confirms what I just said, you know" he said closing his eyes. "You're selfless Sybilla. Probably the only selfless person I know"

"Shut up" Sybilla said, her voice coming out raspy. How long had she spent without talking? Zander laughed but was interrupted by the echo of steps against the floor.

Sybilla remained quiet staring at the hall until she saw Deirdre dragging the king inside, throwing him into the ground and locking the door. Her eyes never turning to watch her, or Zander.

Sybilla felt her hands shaking as Deirdre left the room, and the only thing that was left was the coughing from the king as he spat red blood on the floor. Sybilla moved away from him, sitting so close to Zander's cell that he could almost touch her.

The king's eyes flashed towards them, his brows frowning as he spotted her on the ground, a flash of recognition filling them before he laid on the floor, his breathing barely present.

"What are they doing to him?" Sybilla asked Zander, who barely opened her eyes to watch her. He shook his head, sighing before turning around.

"I rather not know" he said. "You should sleep" Sybilla nodded, even when she knew he couldn't see her, but even when she tried, she could not close her eyes.

Sybilla spent the next several hours trying to find a way out of the cell that seemed to become smaller each time she turned to watch the metal bars the divided her from them. She continued to do so, until time had started to blur together, and her mind had drained out of ideas.

It was then when she smelled the blood and turned to see Zander shivering. Blood staining the floor as it dripped from his leg. Sybilla walked towards him, trying to touch him, to confirm what she already knew. He had barely moved after he fell asleep and the thought of him dying down there haunted Sybilla every couple of minutes. She'd gone back to staring at her door, picking on the door with a clip from her hair, but could not stop turning back to watch him. Giving up, Sybilla decided the only thing that would make her feel better was concentrating on his chest to make sure he kept breathing.